Liam Gallagher has taken over Manchester’s Metro(asis)link voice announcements to mark the ongoing Beyond The Music conference and festival in the city.
The Oasis star will be issuing route information on selected tram services. A spokesman for Gallagher said: “When the request was first made by [Greater Manchester mayor] Andy Burnham, Liam loved the idea of surprising tram users by doing the announcements, and he was given the chance to choose his favourite line.
“You’ll have to get on to a tram into the city to find out which it is.”
More than 100 artists will be performing at 17 grassroots venues across Manchester as part of BTM until Saturday.
Burnham added that, as well as celebrating the newest addition to Manchester’s music calendar, the stunt was a good way to mark the beginning of the return of the city’s public transport network to regulated local authority control with the launch of the Bee Network in September: “There surely can’t be any better way of marking the launch of the Bee Network and the first Beyond The Music than getting one of Manchester’s most famous voices announcing the stops on his favourite Metrolink line,” he said.
“It means a lot to us that Liam has agreed to do this and show his support for his home city. Supporting our music venues and giving people cheaper and better public transport to and from our gigs is what we’re all about. I am sure that Liam’s dulcet tones will wake up a few early-morning commuters, brighten up many a journey, and produce a lot of smiles along the way.”
Bus franchising in the region is the start of plans for an integrated “London-style” transport network, combining bus, tram, and eventually rail, and Beyond The Music organisers are urging music fans to use public transport to get to and from gigs where possible.
But why stop there? While Gallagher’s in the studio, surely transport chiefs could get him to go not only Beyond The Music but beyond the route announcements too? Metrolink announcements could include Gallagher reminding passengers of the “No Cigarettes and Alcohol” rule, delayed services could be announced with a burst of “I’m Gonna Take Forever,” and the top-tier, bus/train/tram three-in-one ticket could be rebranded the “Champagne Daily Rova” with the Oasis frontman’s help.
You know where we are TfGM – you gotta make it happen.
